WHAT DO ALUMNI OF CRAIG MIDDLE SCHOOL OR CRAIG HIGH SCHOOL SAY ABOUT CRAIG

Tad Jacks, Head of School asked three students in March 2015 , who had attended The Craig School, to reflect on their experience as a student and answer three questions about the skills, the teachers who had an influence on them, and words they would use to describe Craig to others. The respondents were Samantha Algieri, a graduate of Craig High School and Drew University; Daniel Shapiro, a graduate from our 8th grade, and now attending Union Catholic High School; and Andrew Zesk, a graduate of Craig High School and Misercordia University. His questions were as follows:

Tad Jacks ( T.J) Tell me one skill that you learned at The Craig School that you have taken to your current school or job?

Samantha Algieri (S.A.) The one skill I have taken from Craig is my writing skills. Before Craig I could hardly write a paragraph, but after I was taught the skills I was able to form pages. College is all about writing papers, and if it wasn’t for Craig I wouldn’t be able to do one of them.

Daniel Shapiro (D.S) The organizational skills that Craig had taught me have helped tremendously in high school. The way my teachers at The Craig taught me how to break things down into smaller components has helped me with my approach to studying.

Andrew Zesk (A.Z) One very important thing that I took from the The Craig School was writing skills. Before Craig writing was not my strong suit, but from instruction in writing skills at both the middle school and high school I have improved greatly in writing. The writing skills I learned from the Craig School definitely helped me in my college career.

T.J. Teachers feel their students are important to them. Which teachers(s) made your experience at The Craig School a positive one and why? What would you tell a younger student to ask that teacher about while they are at Craig?

S. A. Mrs. Chitticks made my experience most positive by teaching me to never give up on anything. I would tell the younger students to go to her for help. She is very patient with students, and always was willing to help.

D. S. Mrs. Ranieri pushed me to keep trying. She never gave up on me and she helped me realize my potential in math. Without her, I’m not sure I would be as good as I am in high school math. Mr. Furlong made my Craig athletic experience outstanding. He was someone that was always there for me; even outside of sports. I always felt like I could talk to him about anything.

A.Z. One teacher who definitely made my Craig School experience positive was Mr. Jacobs. While I was always interested in history, it was through his history classes that I realized I could take my interest in history beyond high school.

T.J. When you talk to people in your family or friends, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think about The Craig School?

S. A. Three words that come to mind are struggle, laughter, and conquer.

D.S. I tell them it was a place where I could be successful and feel confident. I worked hard, but I had fun at the same time.

A.Z. When I think of The Craig School these words come to mind, welcoming, hard work, and preparation for the future.